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Elimination Diet Help?

Villified

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Villified Newbie
Villified
Posted

I recently did two elimination-rechallenges to confirm a doctor's suspicion that my years of bizarre and sometimes debilitating symptoms were celiac related. After the challenges and after being gluten-free for a few weeks, my symptoms (the worst of which was nearly incessant migraines w/aura) were almost entirely gone. In the past week, though, they've been acting up again. I've had palpitations, dyspnea, joint pain, non-migraine headaches, chills, muscle aches, tingling and pain in the extremities, lots of gas and associated abdominal maladies, and akathisia. It's not nearly as bad as it was before; I'm able to function and I'm very very grateful for that. I started to notice that I'd feel particularly bad (tired and spacey in particular) after I ate something starchy. I read up on other food intolerances and decided to do an elimination diet. I want to be very thorough about this, getting rid of anything that might be causing residual symptoms, so that I can be healthy again. My problem is twofold: first, I can't find any definitive list of categories of food that are sometimes not well tolerated. Second, I'm a vegan, which narrows down my options even further. If I really consider every possible problematic food I'm not sure I'd be able to eat anything at all. Are there intolerances I should be focusing on on the basis of probability?

I know I should be doing this under the supervision of a doctor or nutrionist but my resources are limited.

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Dixiebell Contributor
Dixiebell
Posted

Hi Villified.

I think most people start with the top 8 allergens.

Open Original Shared Link

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

It can take quite awhile to find all the gluten that you are still eating without realizing it. It took me about a year to really get rid of everything. I also got more sensitive to trace gluten as I went along so symptoms kept coming back until I got more careful with my diet. I am now down to very few processed foods. It might be a good idea to make sure that you have taken care of all the gluten before you get into other food intolerances because things can get very confusing. Keep a food diary no matter what.

Many celiacs have problems with dairy and soy so it would probably be a good idea to get rid of them right away. You can always try adding them back later. Oh wait, I remember you are vegan, no dairy anyway, or eggs. I was vegan when I was diagnosed, but I have added some dairy, eggs and meat now just to have enough to eat. I had to get rid of soy early on. I could handle soy if I got edaname in the shell, but otherwise there seemed to be too many cross contamination problems. It's a process.

cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted
If I really consider every possible problematic food I'm not sure I'd be able to eat anything at all. Are there intolerances I should be focusing on on the basis of probability?

I was vegan or vegetarian for most of my adult life, so I can understand where you are with this,,,,Unfortunately ,for me what happened was, the very foods I had depended on while vegan/ vegetarian are the ones my body currently can not tolerate.I am hopeful that once my gut has healed I will be able to tolerate at least some ,if not all, of them again ( except gluten of course ).

Starting with wheat/gluten ( of course) soy,nuts and peanuts may give you a place to start. Other foods that some (not all ) celiacs are sensitive to are,soy, nightshades ( potatoes,tomatoes,peppers ect..),corn,grains,dairy .

Doing a strict elimination/reintroduction diet is very very tough,I am currently in the process of doing an elimination/reintroduction diet

Marie1976 Enthusiast
Marie1976
Posted

I'm a vegan too, so I'm in the same boat. And I'm dealing with headaches too. (I'm still eating gluten until after endoscopy.) Trying to figure out what is vegan and gluten-free. I didn't think there would be gluten in tofu, is there?

cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted

I'm a vegan too, so I'm in the same boat. And I'm dealing with headaches too. (I'm still eating gluten until after endoscopy.) Trying to figure out what is vegan and gluten-free. I didn't think there would be gluten in tofu, is there?

This is a gluten free vegan recipe site Open Original Shared Link

the recipes on this site are quite good

I am currently unable to eat soy so I havent checked tofu for gluten.Sorry,, If you are unsure you can always call the company that produces your tofu,or check their web site ,,if they have one, for an ingredients list .

Marie1976 Enthusiast
Marie1976
Posted

This is a gluten free vegan recipe site Open Original Shared Link

the recipes on this site are quite good.

Awesome! Thanks! :D

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